Online Learning Beats Traditional Education
How does the effectiveness of online learning compare with that of face to-face instruction? The verdict's in and online education is proving to produce better results. On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction according to the recently released results of a meta-analysis and review of online learning studies by the U.S. Department of Education[1]. The meta-analysis of 51 study effects, 44 of which were drawn from research with older learners, found that:
1. Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction. Learning outcomes for students who engaged in online learning exceeded those of students receiving face-to-face instruction, with an average effect size of +0.14 favoring online conditions.
2. Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction. The mean effect size in studies comparing blended with face-to-face instruction was +0.35, p < .001.
3. Studies in which learners in the online condition spent more time on task than students in the face-to-face condition found a greater benefit for online learning.
4. Most of the variations in the way in which different studies implemented online learning did not affect student learning outcomes significantly. Analysts examined 13 online learning practices as potential sources of variation in the effectiveness of online learning compared with face-to-face instruction. Of those variables, (a) the use of a blended rather than a purely online approach and (b) the expansion of time on task for online learners were the only statistically significant influences on effectiveness.
The effectiveness of online learning approaches appears quite broad across different content and learner types. Online learning appeared to be an effective option for both undergraduates (mean effect of +0.35, p < .001) and for graduate students and professionals (+0.17, p < .05) in a wide range of academic and professional studies.
Modern online learning applications take advantage of a wide range of Web resources, including multimedia, Web-based applications, and new collaboration technologies that are a far cry from the televised broadcasts and videoconferencing that characterized earlier generations of distance education. Moreover, interest in hybrid approaches that blend in-class and online activities is increasing. Today's online learning includes offerings that run the gamut from conventional didactic lectures or textbook-like information delivered over the Web to Internet-based collaborative role-playing in social simulations and highly interactive multiplayer strategy games.
[1] U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, Washington, D.C., 2009.
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There is a mistake in Point 1 (above). The average effect size for online learning vs. traditional instruction is NOT 0.24. It is 0.14 (k = 51). Accuracy in reporting the results of a meta-analysis is as important as accuracy in conducting the meta-analysis itself.
For nurses who are interested in online learning, aside from picking the right school, arm yourself with the right time management and productivity tools. One of these is MySpeed from enounce. It enables you to speed up or slow down video/ multimedia training according to your own pace. It also reduces boredom and frustration.